You see her vibrant personality - and likable she is - in the beginning... a sweet young girl who possesses a gift that everyone can plainly see. Her face lights up like a candle. She opens her mouth to sing and out comes Billie Holiday! You're completely in awe... and then she talks, walks and lives... and you can't believe she survived to 27. She looked so fragile.
Loving Amy is easy if you haven't seen this film... she wrote songs as if she'd lived 100 lifetimes... and, as she sings in "Back to Black," she'd died 100 times.
Nonetheless, I find it very hard to feel sorry for her, even though the director obviously wants you to. She had all the opportunities in the world handed to her at a very young age - just for being there. Millions of dollars backed that golden voice. She had the best musicians, producers, promoters. She threw it all away... for a guy, for another hit of her drug of the moment... and though she was very ill and needed help... it's not like help wasn't offered. She was just born to be tragic, sing like a jilted lover and die like she'd always belonged in the 27 Club.
I love these songs of Amy's:
Tears Dry on Their Own - one of her better performances - masterful!
